Episode Summary

Spike is held captive in the Summers home while the Scoobies ponder their options in the aftermath of his murder spree. Willow finds Andrew buying blood and decides to take him prisoner also. While they try to decide what to do next, the gang are interrupted by the mysterious hooded figures called "Harbingers" or "Bringers" - the minions of the First Evil.moreless

"Never Leave Me," and to a slightly lesser extent, "Sleeper", do what I feel is an excellent job of blending plot, character development, drama, and comedy.

"Never Leave Me," in particular, also has many of the same qualities I applauded "No Place Like Home" for, although it's not quite as polished and tight. Drew Goddard is quickly emerging as a top-tier Buffy writer. He has an incredibly adept understanding of the show's genre-blending nature and is insanely well-read on the characters. This is an episode that is buoyed on a coupled brilliant conversations between Buffy and Spike, but is assisted by a ton of awesome little things that spread the love around to all the characters and really add up to quite a fun episode. As I just mentioned, this episode is really centered around two particularly probing Buffy and Spike conversations. Knowing this, I appreciated getting an idea of what the other characters felt about Soulful Spike the Killer. Dawn and Anya are voicing concern; Dawn being concerned about what Spike might be capable of, Anya just being practical. Xander stays out of it completely, which is interesting. Instead of getting all worked up over Spike, Xander seems to have some perspective now and clearly trusts Buffy to handle the situation herself -- he's lost that jealously and feeling that Buffy's better than Spike. I see this as a reflection of Xander's growth from last season. Buffy's not on his pedastal anymore, and is instead treating her more like a trusted friend rather than a desired girlfriend. I really like Spike's soft but blunt outing of his thoughts on everything that's happened. Of particular interest is when he tells Buffy that his pain and suffering is all relative. He had to redefine what those words meant after falling in love with Buffy. Now, I can see why Buffy might take offense to that comment, but I think I understand what Spike means by it. I really don't think Spike is entirely trying to put blame on Buffy by saying this, but rather just that loving her has led him on a journey that redefines what pain and suffering means. With that said, he clearly has some blame for Buffy as well, as he just now fully realizes what it means that she used him last season. He says, "I'm feeling honest with myself. You used me. I never understood it though. Not until now. You hated yourself, and you took it out on This certainly doesn't excuse Spike's awful behavior at points of last season, but both characters did bad things to each other which fueled a growing flame. Spike goes on to talk about now understanding "the violence What he's talking about here is that internal struggle inside all of us -- to be good people, to strive to be better, and the guilt most of us feel when we do wrong. Spike articulates what it means to have a soul and guilt -- or self loathing -- is definitely a part of that. This entire segment beautifully summarizes what it truly means for Spike to have a soul. We can not only see and feel the difference, Spike is now also articulating the difference. Once again, the writers have done a phenomenal job synching us up with the characters' psychological state, which is then used as a spring board for new developments that are actually believeable. Later in Buffy's basement, once Buffy explains to Spike that he's being triggered, he pleads with her to kill him. This leads him to a speech about what he's truly capable of, telling her "you got off easy Buffy, still acting very mature and intelligent about this, reminds Spike that he's not responsible for these recent triggered-induced actions. Soulful Spike is not the same person as Soulless Spike. Buffy knows this from experience dealing with Angel. This is why she's so quick to want to help him. Spike, on the other hand, is really letting that whole self-loathing thing overwhelm him. Being soulless for so long, it's probably easy to forget how to constructively channel that guilt. It's only human to struggle with it though. Spike tries to make a case for how bad he is with creepy murderous knowledge he has. What's more interesting is when Spike asks one of the biggest questions of the series: "Have you ever really asked yourself why you can't do it? Off me? After everything I've done to you, to people around you. It's not love. We both know Spike goes on, "Don't do that. Don't rationalize this into some noble act. We both know the truth of it. You like men who hurt Buffy refuses to completely believe this. Though her response does insinuate that there is some truth to it before, which is true to what was going on in Season 6. In particular, I think most of their dialogue here is referencing Season 6. Buffy hits it home with her rebuttle, "No. I don't hate like that. Not you, or myself. Not anymore. You think you have insight now because your soul's drenched in blood? You don't know me. You don't even know you. Was that you who killed those people in the cellar? Was that you who waited for those girls? ... Listen to me. You're not alive because of hate or pain. You're alive because I saw you change. Because I saw your Spike's understandably in the trap of, well, self loathing and isn't really in the mood to give himself any credit whatsoever. Buffy goes on to say, "Be easier, wouldn't it, it if were an act. But it's not. You faced the monster inside of you and you fought back. You risked everything to be a better man. And you can be. You are. You may not see it, but I do. I do. I believe in you, This is really moving and powerful stuff! The dialogue between the two of them in "Never Leave Me" not only sets up Spike's final journey, but also extremely clearly shows us why Buffy has faith in Spike, and why Spike feels the way he does. I want to stress that it's clear to me that Spike's motivation to go get his soul goes well beyond just sex. I think Buffy has it completely right. Spike did risk everything to be a better man -- a better man for Buffy. As Spike said in "Beneath You", "What must a man do what he mustn't for her, to be hers. To be the kind of man, who would never... to be a kind of Spike's behavior paints a pretty consistent picture to me, and it's all built on top of what came before while simultaneously laying new foundation for the the rest of the series. This is fantastic television at work. It's extremely beautiful that the last thing Buffy tells Spike before the Bringers flood into the house and capture Spike is "I believe in At that moment, Spike fully gets it, and has a newfound belief in himself. I also think Buffy communicating this belief to Spike is a direct threat to the First, which is why it mobilized the Bringers on a raid to immediately get Spike out of there. The last thing the First needs is a Spike that believes in himself and is fighting strongly on Buffy's side. This sets up the First's approach to bringing him down a notch over the next couple episodes. The Watcher's Council headquarters being blown up is certainly quite a huge shock, especially after Quentin's "rousing speech" and a promise of another Council visit to Sunnydale and Buffy. You just don't expect something like that to happen, but then again, that's always been a staple of this series -- to do the unexpected. I really love the ambitious scope of the First's attack and how "huge" this whole thing feels. The only big problem is that the season sadly isn't able to maintain this pace for very much longer. "Never Leave Me" is a very well-rounded episode that moves the overall story along while also giving us some key character insight and development. There's a lot of fun around the edges as well, from Willow bumping into Andrew at a butcher's shop to Anya and Xander working together to "break" a hilarious Andrew. On the more serious side, some big events happened such as the Watcher's Council being blow'd up good, the First capturing Spike, the First raising the real Ubervamp, and us being left to question whether Giles is still alive. The only thing this episode is missing is a little more character depth of the non Buffy and Spike variety. With Spike being out of focus until later in the season and the Potentials beginning to arrive in the next episode, this deficiency sadly isn't handled better until later in the season. Despite that one flaw, though, I feel this is an excellent episode.moreless

Andrew at Revello Drive

Nice humour from Dawn and Andrew, a good fight and our first hints that Principal Wood is more than he seems

The Bad;

When Spike attacks Buffy we see a glimpse of his arm reflected in the mirror as she blocks his blow

Best line;

Dawn (on Buffy's illness keeping her off work) "Her exact words were 'I've got stuff coming out of both ends" Jeez!; Spike feeding from the blood filled bag is horrible as is his little girl story. The Turok-Han is one genuinely scary beastie! Kinky dinky; Spike (of falling in love with Buffy) "I've had to redefine the words pain and suffering since I feel in love with you". Maybe he could just hire some dominatrix or something? Spike elaborates on his little girl in the coal cellar story implying that she was Dawn's age and that he did more than just kill her and her family, keeping her alive so she cried when he...because it would be no fun if she didn't cry (anyone else glad he didn't finish that story?) Spike implies that Buffy likes men who hurt her, he may be right given her track record. He also postulates that she needs that pain to do her job which is also what the First Slayer stated in Intervention and we will find out more about the Slayer's darkside in 'Get it done'. (Hell hath no fury...?) Captain Subtext; Warren asks Andrew to feel him. Andrew like's Patrick Swayze in Ghost. Willow declares "Tool talk not my thing". Xander declares that he'll be 'pumping' Andrew in no time. Note when Buffy and Dawn are fighting the Bringers they use EXACTLY the same fighting move at the same time, again more than sisters? Guantanamo Bay; Xander and Anya torture Andrew without remorse. Apocalypses; 7, Scoobies in bondage: Andrew is but he isn't a Scooby yet. Spike is. Buffy: 8 Giles: 4 Cordy: 5 Will: 4 Jenny: 1 Angel: 4 Oz: 1 Faith: 3 Joyce: 1 Wes: 1 Xander; 2 Dawn; 4 Spike; 2 Scoobies knocked out: Spike by Buffy, Willow and Anya by The Bringers Buffy: 19 Giles: 12 Cordy: 6 Xander: 15 Will: 9 Jenny: 2 Angel: 6 Oz: 3 Faith: 1 Joyce: 3 Wes: 1 Anya;6 Dawn; 4 Tara; 1 Spike; 1 Kills: presuming that the Bringers are humans score 2 for Buffy. Presumably Xander killed the Bringer attacking Dawn? Buffy: 117 vamps, 60 demons, 6 monsters, 5 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot Giles: 8 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human/1 god. Will: 6 vamps + 3 demons +1 fawn+1 human. Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans Xander: 6 vamps, 2 zombies, 1 a demon, 1 human Anya: 1 vamp and 1 a demon Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons Spike; 9 vamps and 6 demons Buffybot; 2 vamps Tara; 1 demon Dawn; 1 vamp + 1 demon Scoobies go evil: Giles: 1 Cordy: 1 Will: 3 Jenny: 1 Angel: 1 Oz: 1 Joyce: 1 Xander: 4 Anya; 1 Dawn; 1 Buffy; 1 Spike; 1 Alternate scoobies: Buffy: 8 Giles: 4 Cordy: 1 Will: 5 Jenny: 2 Angel: 3 Oz: 2 Joyce: 2 Xander: 4 Tara; 1 Dawn;1 Spike; 1 Anya; 2 Recurring characters killed: 13 goodbye Quentin Travers, well intentioned but out of touch (which could well be the Watcher motto?) Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce, Katrina, Tara, Quentin Travers. Sunnydale deaths; 101 Total number of scoobies: 6, Xander, Buffy, Dawn, Willow, Anya, Spike Xander demon magnet: 5(6?) Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula? Scoobies shot: Giles: 2 Angel: 3 Oz: 4 Riley; 1 Buffy; 1 Tara; 1 Notches on Scooby bedpost: Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes? Buffy: 4 confirmed; Angel, Parker, Riley, Spike. 2 possible, Dracula+RJ(?) Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?) Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley Xander: 2; Faith, Anya Willow: 2;Oz and Tara Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore Spike; 2 Buffy and Anya Anya; 2 Spike and Xander Dawn in peril; 14 yes although she's pretty capable of taking care of herself nowadays Dawn the bashful virgin; 9 Questions and observations; Anya still pretty bitter at having been stabbed by Buffy in Selfless. When Buffy says that Spike needs blood Willow suggests killing Anya. I guess Triangle didn't resolve everything. Xander comes through as knowledge guy. The Spike/Buffy scene is pivotal, she keeps him around not just because they've fought side by side and she needs him to do her job but because she's seen what he's been through in order to redeem himself. He never hated himself before he had a soul because he didn't understand the value of self-worth. Many think that the central figure of the Buffyverse is Dawn, that at heart it's all about protecting her as the innocent. But in some ways Spike also has that claim, he lost his innocence and now strives to reclaim it which is perhaps the harder path? The Watcher's Council talk of losing their files, taken by Giles or Rutherford Sirk who later turns up working for Wolfram and Hart on Angel? Note even the First Evil can't be bothered to recall Andrew's name! We have here the end of the Watcher's Council in it's familar form although individual Watchers such as Giles, Robson, Wes' dad etc survive to help Buffy and co in season 8. Note it's the London headquarters that are destroyed, according to Wes in Spin the Bottle the training school is in Hampshire so we should have a new generation ready to take to the field? Marks out of 10; 8/10, season 7 kicks into high gear moreless

Pull the Trigger

Never Leave Me-Spike is held captive in the Summers home while the Scoobies ponder their options in the aftermath of his murder spree. Willow finds Andrew buying blood and decides to take him prisoner also. While they try to decide what to do next, the gang are interrupted by the mysterious hooded figures called "Harbingers" or "Bringers" - the minions of the First Evil."Never Leave Me" is one of those episodes where a lot happens yet nothing really happens. What I mean is that it's another plot heavy episode,especiallydealing with Spike being under control by the Big Bad, The Watcher's Council, Andrew etc. But there is a lot of sitting around and talking and the big moments are sprinkled around the episode. That doesn't mean "Never Leave Me" is bad, in fact, in some scenes, the dialogue is exceptional. Buffy and Spike continue to have the best character interaction, from the little moments like Spike telling Buffy to tie his ropes to Spike realizing why his relationship with Buffy was so wrong from the start. I love the depth James keeps giving Spike, even after all these years, Spike continues to be afascinatingcharacter and with a soul, Spike seems so level headed and compassionate than even Buffy realizes. I also loved the scene in the basement between them. Spike brings up a good point about Buffy's lack ofability to kill him over the years. Spike really lets Buffy have it and let's her know, despite what she thinks is redemption for him, doesn't compare to the 100+ years of the unimaginable evil that he's done. Also the point he makes about what he's done to girls Dawn's age is pretty creepy. But even after that, even after what Spike even did to her, Buffy makes a point about Spike now being put in a position to be a better man and she sees some put good in him now, that it would be a waste. A really great scene!We also get some nice humor with Andrew and evenafterthe fact he kills Jonathan, the character is stilllikable. Tom Lenk really mashes well with the cast automatically and I absolutely loved the scene where he bumps into with at the butcher shop. Willow's awkward threats by trying to recapture her Dark Willow persona was hilarious, especially with Andrew growing more cowardly with each threat. Though, I have to admit, the interrogation scenes with Xander and Anya getting information out of Andrew, felt a bit like filler. I mean, the moment where Anya accidentally slaps Xander made me laugh out loud, but the majority it felt like the writers just wanted to give Xander and Anya something to do. The Bringers' raid on the house was a pretty cool sequence, especially seeing Dawn getting a chance to show she is actually improving as a fighter. Also, I just love Buffy using Andrew as a "weapon" against the Bringers. After the fight and Spike is taken, we finally find out who the Big Bad is: The First. A villain which we saw way back in Season 3's "Amends". It's so cool how the writers brought it back as the final baddie for the gang, considering it seems pretty unstoppable. Meanwhile, back in England, we've been seeing Watchers get killed and that they are also having trouble dealing with the First. Quentin Travers and the Watcher's Council get a pretty brutalfarewellas their headquarters is destroyed! Not to mention, it looks like Giles might be killed off! All and All, "Never Leave Me" is an episode despite it's filler(ish) feel has some great character interaction, humor and a shocking cliffhanger that involves the First bleeding Spike and unleashing the scariest vampire I've ever seen! Yikes!moreless

â€œA soul's not all about moonbeams and penny whistles. It's about self-loathing.â€� - Spike

For once, we see the house being fixed up after the fight. It's a fairly fruitless task though, how many days usually go by without a Summers residence smackdown? It's a good job Xander works for free.

This episode confirms the Big Bad as The First Evil to both the viewers and the gang. It also brings Andrew into the fold and furthers the Buffy and Spike reconciliation. Just as Spike has been compared to other characters (we've seen similarities between his predicaments and Riley's, he and Anya, even Spike's relationship with Buffy and the gyndroid April's with Warren) and now it's Spike and Andrew who share affinities. This is even pointed out to us as Anya wonders if William the Bloody is back and we then cut to a mysterious figure in black boots and a long dark coat striding imperiously down the Sunnydale street, who turns out to be....Andrew.Meanwhile Buffy is tying Spike up in her bedroom. What S6 Spike would have done for this! But now he's going through murder withdrawal, Buffy feeding him his methadone pigs' blood and counselling him when he wants to give up. It's not just about the ensouled guilt; like Willow, Spike fears what he is capable of. He is prepared to die to save others from his unwitting actions, foreshadowing his Christ-like actions at the end of the season (his sacrificial blood at the end of the episode drips from a crucifix, hammering (pun intended) the point home). He taunts Buffy to force him to kill her, telling her that she needs men to hurt her â€" a Slayer needs hatred in order to be able to do her job, and he tells her about the things he used to do to â€œgirls Dawn's ageâ€� (possibly lies; we know it was Angel who liked the torture and Spike who preferred a good fangs-out fight). But the two are starting to understand each other; Spike realises why Buffy had a love/hate relationship with him (it was all about the self-loathing) and Buffy comprehends why Spike had to get his soul back. â€œYou faced the monster inside of you and you fought back. You risked everything to be a better man.â€œ She isn't prepared to let him sink into self-pity or to be a shadow of his former vampire: â€œYou're alive because I saw you change. Because I saw your penance.â€� To top this off, she tells him that she believes in him and we see a glimpse of what their future relationship could be, one based on mutual trust and understanding.Andrew too is soon tied up. Just as the ghosts of Jonathan and Warren played good and bad cop with Andrew to persaude him to do TFE's bidding, here Xander and Anya play bad cop and worse cop as they bond over the interrogation of Andrew, even though Anya is still annoyed about Buffy trying to kill her (â€œShouldn't we stab him through the chest? Isn't that what we do when these things happen?â€�) and Xander feels that, because of Anya, there is only darkness where his heart used to be. But unlike Spike, Andrew feels no remorse and the gang is not that concerned when Spike, under TFE's brainwashing, tries to eat him to stop his blabbing. Buffy even uses him as a weapon at one point. And Andrew only tells them anything because he is more scared of Willow and her she-witchery than he is of Warren-as-TFE.TFE failed with Spike and Andrew and so it has to send in the big guns in the physical form of the Harbingers. To be honest, if I were a supremely powerful but incorporeal form of evil, I wouldn't use blind monks. Sightlessness isn't usually much of an aid to Slayer-slaughter. But the monks get their vamp and they take Spike off to be blood-let (it turns out that Jonathan was anaemic) and to open the hellmouth, revealing, not the tentacley monster of previous times, but one of Spike's ancestors, an uber-vamp.What this episode doesn't tell us is what has happened to Giles, whether the council are dead after their CGI dynamiting, and we still don't know if Wood is good. On one hand, he accepts Dawn's lies about Buffy being too ill to come to work (neat mother substitute/child role reversal) and busts the myth of the permanent record; on the other he threatens the children in his care with the police and, just as Buffy says: â€œI need to know what we're dealing with,â€� we cut to Wood seemingly psychically discovering Jonathan's body still lying on the hellmouth opening. Determined to remain his true intentions ambiguous, the writers have him burying the body in a sort of trance. Is he bad? Under a spell? Working for the First? Time, as is often the case, will tell.moreless

In "Lessons" Spike shows Buffy his chest when he tried to rip his own heart out over the Summer. Spike has a scar on his eyebrow, apparently given to him by the Chinese Slayer in 1900, as we see in "Fool for Love". That scar hasn't healed in 102 years, but the ones on his chest are pretty much gone.

I don't really know if anyone else thought about this one or not, but here goes. Spike busts through the wall to get his hands on Andrew, leaving a hole big enough to pull Andrew through while standing up. And then in the next scene, when Anya and Xander run into the room the come in through the door. Would it not have saved them time to have gone through the hole that was created when Spike grabbed Andrew?

QUOTES (9)

Andrew: I am bad. I'm bad. I'm evil. But I'm protected by powerful forces, forces you can't even begin to imagine... little girl. If you harm me you shall know the wrath of he that is darkness and terror. Your blood will boil, and you will know true suffering. Stand down, she-witch. Your defeat is at hand-- Willow: Shut your mouth. I AM a she-witch. A very powerful she-witch... or "witch" as is more accurate.

Principal Wood: Now guys, look. We can settle this one of two ways. You can repaint the walls, or I can suspend you and report this little incident on your permanent record. Delinquent #1: Fine. Do that. Principal Wood: Okay, I was bluffing. I hadn't really thought that one through. Listen, this whole "permanent record" thing is such a myth, anyway. Colleges never ask for anything past your SAT scores, and it's not like employers are gonna be calling up to check to see how many days you missed back in high school. I could suspend you, but that would mean calling your parents, alerting your teachers, filling out paperwork, and quite possibly, having to talk to the school board, all of which sounds positively exhausting to me. Seems like it's easier just to call the police. And, in case you're wondering? This is the part where I'm not bluffing.

NOTES (7)

Quentin Travers: For by wise council, you shall make your war. The Bible verse quoted by Quentin Travers just before the explosion (Proverbs, 24:6) is from the American King James version of the bible. It reads, in full: "For by wise counsel you shall make your war: and in multitude of counselors there is safety."

Andrew: Or Patrick Swayze.Ghost is considered one of the most romantic films of the 1990s. In it, Patrick Swayze returns as a ghost to warn Demi Moore. He can't take corporeal form and he uses wacky psychic Whoopie Goldberg to achieve his goal.

Warren: You can do this. You're my Iron Fist.Iron Fist is a Marvel Comics character. He and Luck Cage, AKA Power Man, formed Heroes for Hire, Inc. Iron Fist is Daniel Thomas Rand-Kai, a martial arts master who summons his chi to raise his martial arts mastery, channeling the force through his fist. He can also use his chi to heal himself and others.

Butcher: This is a butcher shop, Neo. We don't sell toothpaste.Neo was Keanu Reeves' character in the blockbuster film The Matrix. He wore a leather jacket (much like Andrew's) throughout most of the movie.

Xander: A trigger. Anya: The horse?A Hollywood horse belonging to Western star Roy Rogers, Trigger was often considered "The smartest horse in the movies." Xander is actually referring to a trigger as part of military tactics in brainwashing, whereas Anya is thinking of said stallion.

Andrew: I think Babe 2: Pig in the City was under-rated.Universal's Babe 2: Pig in the City is rated G. It is the story of a pig (Babe) with his animal friends from the farm, that go in the City for the very first time. The movie is full of comedy and adventure.

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